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American Blogger Apologizes for Video Showing Japanese Suicide Victim
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An American blogger has apologized after facing criticism for a YouTube video that appeared to show the body of a suicide victim.
Logan Paul published the video on Sunday. It showed him walking with friends in the Aokigahara forest near Japan’s Mount Fuji. The area is known as a place where a number of people have committed suicide.
In the video, Paul and his friends see a man’s hanging body and react with shock, but also tell jokes.
Critics called the jokes “disrespectful” and “disgusting.”
Paul published an apology letter Tuesday on Twitter. He wrote, "Where do I begin. Let us start with this. I am sorry."
He said that in his daily production of video blogs, or vlogs, "it is easy to get caught up in the moment” without thinking fully about the possible effects.
The video has been taken down, but parts of it remain online.
Suicide rates in Japan are the highest in the developed world. Official numbers on suicides, especially in the Aokigahara forest, are not available. Some Japanese say people choose to take their life in the forest because it could take days to find the body.
Logan Paul has more than 15 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and nearly four million followers on Twitter.
I’m Caty Weaver.
VOA News reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
blogger - n. someone writes or posts about personal opinions, activities, and experiences on the internet.
commit - v. to do (something that is illegal or harmful)
disgusting - adj. so bad, unfair, inappropriate, etc., that you feel annoyed and angry
awareness - n. knowledge of a situation or fact
online - n. connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet
subscriber - n. a person who receives a publication regularly by paying in advance.